Labyrinth of Mockingbirds
by random-randomize
Summary: She silently thought that this was just another one of those heaven in hell thing. Sometimes, happiness is not just something to be gotten in the end of the road. "A long and bumpy road", she could get used to that.
1. Bologna Sandwich

_My friends affiliate me with strangeness, some even called me an oddball. Few jokes from my colleagues reached my ears, 'An interrogator covert.' I merely raised one of my eyebrow on that remark._

_To 'The Triad Philosophy' reviewers, I present you this. You know who you are._

_No owning Marimite, that's the rules._

_Best viewed in 3/4 or 1/2 width; and yeah, I'm so in need of beta for this.  
_

_Reviews makes my day._

_-constructively, that is._

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_**Narita International Airport was bustling with crowds, even when blazing fluorocent written '4 a.m' hanging around the corner. None of duty free shops seemed to open among these busy men **____**and women,**__** save for a few cafe and 24 hours food kiosk. Shiro for the obvious reason suddenly aware for the lack of choices in his thinking list. You see, Shiro here had been waiting for god know how long in this blasted waiting lounge. Again, the obvious choice of word pointed the obvious voice of reason. Let's picked the word 'waiting' here.**_

_**In adjective, in an expression of words that meant to attribute something, he was meant to be and remained available to use. Shiro other half sniggered as his pocketed palm revealed itself into the whole world a silver metal zippo. Not exactly dispensable, knowing when and where and how the lighter chose its owner. Nah…his zippo had more history to that.**_

_**Now, where was he - before rambling about some unexplainable flame source… Oh, the waiting.**_

_**For some and other reasons, his eyes roamed over his surrounding. Benches, bins, signs, people, more benches…the smell of bread and coffee… Was it why his mind seemed so deprived from his neuron cells? Shiro shook his head as he grabbed his leather coat from the seat next to him and lifted his suitcase into somewhat magically opened starbucks like shop in this early morning.**_

_**He needed the caffeine, badly.**_

"And I think you'll need this, nee-san," a familiar smell, sound, interrupted her from behind as her line of vision directed her toward a cardboard cup. A cup of-

…_the greatest creation of humanity_…

-steaming espresso. Mild black with one teaspoon of fresh cream, just as she liked it.

"Thanks, Yuki," Yumi took it with delight. Her eyes still trained to the blank screen in front of her, with her left forefinger unconsciously tapping an empty space beside her Q-Tech notebook. Her mind was obviously elsewhere though-

"Already preparing for the next volume?" Pique Yuki who sat right in front of her.

-despite her keyboard finger dancing performance for the past fifteen minutes. She sipped the rest black liquid slowly, savoring the taste. The immediate effect rushed as her focus became sharper and she was able to think clearer. Already she could hear Kenneth scolding from the back of her mind regarding her addictive habit.

Yumi nodded.

"And you're going to use that for your book?"

She needed ten seconds longer to mull the answer, "Yes. No. Perhaps," she shrugged, "I'm just bored."

Yuki hummed.

"It could, actually," he pique again.

"It could," Yumi remarked nonchalantly, "A…possibility."

"Prospect," came Yuki immediate response.

"Supposition," Yumi complemented. Yuki seemed to be in thesaurus mode, she dully noted.

"Outlook."

"Express?" Yuki laughed at this. "Surmisal," and she added.

Yuki halted as he tilted his head to the side as if searching for something popped in the mid air. He slowly said, "...conjecture?"

She grinned and sipped her cup dry.

Yuki stared at an empty cup warily before speaking his mind, "Je vous ressers?"

Yumi fingered the rim of cardboard cup and gave Yuki a half smile, "Actually, no."

"Vraiment?"

She sighed and threw it into the nearby bin, "Non ma petite."

"If you say so," Yuki shrugged and laid his neck on the back rest, watching the remaining passerby, "Yumi…"

"What is it, Yuki?" She was back into her notebook, pausing and typing in different interval.

Yuki watched as the light seeped behind the cloud and red like freckles appeared in the horizon from the corner of his eyes, "…No, never mind."

Yumi shifted a gaze to her twin and paused for a moment before she typed again. They both went silent. The only sound surrounded them was soft clicks. Crowds from before had reduced into a few people.

The arrival gate before them was almost empty, save for few people sitting several feet away. There would be no arrival for several hours unless for different flights several gates away from them.

Yumi paused in her typing and reached her cell. She looked at the ridiculously large beetle shape phone in hesitation and before she could say 'Yuki', Beethoven Violin Sonata No. 1 in D major, 3rd movement tune resounded in the air. She waited and took a look at the sender number and when it didn't identify anyone from her private contact, she pressed a green button and lifted the speaker up to her ear.

"Fukuzawa here," Yumi watched as Yuki grunted in his light slumber.

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**Mockingbird Labyrinth**

_Chapter 1 - Bologna Sandwich_

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000

A blond with shoulder past length hair sat on the window sill. Her eyes was a bit unfocused as she stared pass the window, almost in a trance state like. If she didn't know better she could have become a statue herself. A soft sigh escaped from her lips, forming a tiny fog on the glass pane as she leaned the side of her head to the window. She was restless.

"You look like a drown cat."

Satou Sei tilted her head to the side. In front of just opening door to the Yamayurikai main common room was a brunette with shoulder length hair, in her hand was something Sei didn't expect to see.

"Goronta."

Hearing familiar voice, the black cat leaped from brunette hand and walked toward Sei in a slow walk. Goronta made it to Sei's leg and enclosed his tails playfully. He blinked when he no longer felt ground on his feet. Sei had lifted him into a mid-air.

"Youko is being meannnnn! But we do have a lot in common. Neh, Goronta?" Sei's cheshire grin stretched from ear to ear while Goronta blinked for the umpteenth times, emitting a soft purr as Sei scratched between his ear.

Without further ado, Mizuno Youko joined the petting festive and Goronta could feel a gentle stroke on his head.

They shared a simple silence. No one bother to start anyway, not until Goronta slipped away and their fingers intertwined. Sei wasn't as surprised as she supposed to be and she stared at Youko hand instead. She gently flipped Youko palm to the other side and looked at it, as if examining for something.

Meanwhile, Youko paid her attention into others, Sei's face for one. She noticed Sei's knitted eyebrows, of how muscle around her lips were tightened, and how seemingly the grin was away. She noticed Sei's simple silence, of the blankness in the blond gaze, because it made Sei looked like an empty oyster.

She didn't like it. I wasn't just right and she felt suffocating already.

"Where were you?"

Sei stared at the lines in Youko's palm a minute longer before slowly met the other's eyes and smiled a small smile. "I'm here," she said, almost too smooth.

Youko didn't wear her usual smirk. She gave her a crooked smile.

"You weren't," She pointed at where Sei's heart is with her free hand, "And I don't know if you are."

Sei smiled more genuine this time. They both know Youko didn't only mean her absence in her morning class. She somehow made it sitting in the window sill for hours. She suddenly felt like being in her second year all over again.

"Say, Youko," said Sei as her eyebrow raised a few notch.

"Yes, Sei?"

"You're plotting again, aren't you?" Sei threw her a curious glance.

"Me? And what's that suppose to mean?" Youko cast an incredulous look.

Sei felt like rolling her eyes, but for some reason she didn't and she gave her own grin instead, only wider. She didn't squat for long though, as she stood up with as much elegance she could muster.

Youko watched as Sei poured tap water into electric kettle and took out two brown mugs.

000

"I've got migraine," was Yumi response as four eyes peered curiously from mirror reflection in second storey bathroom.

Four eyes didn't actually saying anything since they met side by side in front of bathroom mirror, but Yumi could feel the curious stare directed to her almost instantly. They didn't talk at all.

At least her answer was partially true.

In her grasp was a small translucent bottle of gray liquid pills and just in less than ten seconds ago she swallowed a couple of them. She grimaced at the residual aftertaste and washed her throat with tap water.

"Is that tylenol?' Four eyes asked her, still peering curiously.

"Umm, yes. Sort of," Yumi said after drying her lips with nearby paper towel roll, and dumped them unceremoniously in garbage can.

Yumi lack of assurance made four eyes more curious than before, as Yumi saw her tilting head from mirror reflection which she smiled back at. She inwardly cursed in seven different languages, having to encounter some troublesome explanation to a total sranger.

"Are you not feeling well?" Four eyes actually looked concerned, big surprise.

"I'm quite alright," Yumi shook her head and chuckled as she pointed her temple, "Just a small disturbance in the head." She meant it to be a sarcastic humor, but four eyes did not seem to understand so she added slightly, "I had too much coffee this morning."

Four eyes tipped her head to the side once again, seemed to be interested, "You're caffeine addict?"

"Almost quite actually," Yumi stiffled a laugh at four eyes bluntness. Had it to be Suguru, she would retort back. But in front of her was a total stranger with curiousity and concern plainly hidden in the face. Besides, there was something about four eyes she could not quite catch. It could be the way her eyes looked stilled as if guarding a hidden message. Or simply because she looked oddly fit with camera strap hanging around her neck.

Yumi was about to exit when four eyes called her name.

"Yumi-san," So she looked back, "Would you like to have lunch together?" But more than that, she was intrigued that someone knew her name. In her first day no less.

A normal freshman response would be, 'Sure. Why not?' But again..., she was not exactly normal.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I had a grand scale breakfast this morning," Yumi patted her stomach, "Still metabolizing all the calories intact, you see." It was a polite, but refusal was a refusal nonetheless.

"Alright. Have a good day," Four eyes gave a casual smile. "The infirmary is in the first floor, just across from counselor office," she added in a light tone.

"You too, Takeshima-san." Yumi waved and stepped into the school hallway, leaving Lillian Kawaraban photographer in ladies toilet, alone.

000

Professor Fukuzawa Yumi. I graduated from Hemmington Ernst Institue in my early thirteen. Personal information is classified. I don't have a normal life so if you're normal, get out of my way. If anyone here is a papermaster, Mithril coworkers, i-jin researcher, British library agent or an ability holder, come and find me. That is all.

In essence, her bad mood almost drove her saying that. So she pushed it deep with a shovel of consciousness into her holy mind of doom. A new reminder: reading scientific light novel to chill her temper is bad for health, look for tranquilizer next time. Putting it differently, she didn't bring any liquor that day so she picked the first thing she saw from a newsagent stand in the way.

In a meditative state she learned to reach years ago, she spoke with natural tranquility, "My name is Fukuzawa Yumi. I graduated from Eitoku Middle School in Hokkaido," _in my early ten_, "three months ago. Due to technical related matter, I was delayed and accepted three days ago," _insert personal joke_, "And just like a common freshman, my age," _is seventeen_, "is ranging between fourteen to fifteen and a half."

No response.

So to speak, she managed it in five sentences in front of thirty nine female students plus one female teacher._ Small class…not to mention shy and polite._

"Is that all you have to say?" The teacher questioned.

"Yes, _Ma'am_," There's no name tag on her blouse.

"Does anyone have any question for Fukuzawa-san?"

_Take back the compliment._

One of the girls rose her hand, "Hai, sensei!"

"Why yes, Emi-kun. You may proceed."

"Where do you come from?" A spiky haired brunette, glasses, wait…was it tattoo on her collarbone?

"I'm a nomadic in a term, traveled to many places." Next.

"Traveler? Mind to share with us of places you've traveled?" A pig tailed, brown silky almost red hair, and she thought bleach weren't allowed in Japanese school. Should have known nuns had sense of humour…

"London, Serbia, Paris, Persia, Russia, South Africa, Iran, basically around Middle East and Europe, few in Asia," couldn't hurt if just a bit. Then again dropping jaws wasn't a concern. Next.

"Ended up in Japan?" Ebony thin, short hair. Eyes wide in curiosity.

"Traveler," cut the butterfly effect. Next.

"What are your hobbies?" Loose purple hair. Black…innocent eyes.

_Firearms, ancient runes, ruins, books…_ "Book."

"What books?" And one thing led to another.

"…"

"Fukuzawa-san?"

She merely stared at her.

"Just mention one of them then. One that you like for example," Sensei smiled, not before she covered that nervous laugh. Nice teeth…

Students followed her gaze as she stared into the horizon, and she muttered in low whisper, " 'die 'unsterbliche Liebe...' "

"French?" Brownish blue eyes, tranquilized by her stare.

She didn't have to answer to that quite apparently.

"Immortal Beloved," gray to almost silvery eyes, brown curly past shoulder length hair, rosy lips.

"How about music?" Intercepted curvy green hair.

"Vltava The Moldau."

"Lava?"

"Bedrich Smetana," brunette, warm brown eyes, long single braided hair almost grinning; a dreamy expression on her face.

Thus, the clapping sound.

"Just one more question before we started the lesson."

One hand rose from the back, Ms. Braided hair, "Yomi-sensei."

And so her nod, "Shimazu-san."

"We've asked you many question. So, anything you wanted to ask from us. Questions…or…request?" And grinning…

_Where was sake when you need them? _She merely raised her one eyebrow.

"Call me Yumi."


	2. Crash Test Dummies

_Alright, alright, don't kill me now. Lots of explanation ahead, I owe you guys at least that much. Waiting behind the next chapter, sheeh... close the door! Who said you can come out!! Okay then, I'm quite stuck, yes. But I think at least I can put something in here. _

_Enjoy, r&R.  
_

_Again, best viewed in ¾ length, top right button._

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Lillian Girls' Academy is a prestigious elite place in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan. Being in suburb part of Tokyo itself, Lillian Jogakuen could be considered as secluded, quiet place where one could enjoy their school life in comfortable environment. Siding several kilometres with Hanadera, Lillian Jogakuen surprisingly held a well-said reputation as 'Garden of Maidens', a honorary title given from Hanadera Boys' Academy.

With black sailor uniform and pleated skirt, Lillian students often paid their respect to a statue in the front lawn; a daily morning ritual from generation to generation. With similar slim bag book that they held at elbow reach, both hands clasped together and they prayed in various length. Some spent a minute if not more while others spent theirs in less than five seconds. Amongst the crowd was her, familiarizing herself in new environment. She chose the later in five simple steps; clasping her hands in front of her chest, and said, 'Hello, how are you? Because I'm fine.' in exactly four seconds and left; leaving others who were staring (gaping) with their eyebrows high (at her).

It was not a simple feat for them, for behaving so non-ladylike that is. Perhaps it was because she said her words with an amount of precision, firmly (out-loudly); or maybe because of two grown men who followed her so faithfully in clad business suit. Moving to the last choice, maybe it was for the actress-like lady who walked beside her in elegant yet simple black garibaldi.

_And the second day had yet started_, Yumi sighed inwardly in dismay.

Spending the rest of their journey in silence, she looked around in subtlety. Lushes of trees and rock paved road, wooden benches and flower fields. Tenth of metres to the northwest was a small church. _Or an oversized chapel_, she stared at those white coloured stones. To the west was a small house of glass, a green-house if she squinted more so. She turned back to the green colour, moving slowly to the cloudy sky (exasperated, like her). How she would gave anything to be so carefree like those white cotton ball gasses. A quick glance back to the earth, to these three people, assured her more that it was not an option. Her inner mulling was interjected before she could think any further, making her aware that three pair of eyes was looking at her, waiting.

"Yumi-chan was having a thousand faces," A gentle yet masculine voice spoke before anyone could say anything. Soft spoken bipolar man with sarcasm streak, Kashiwagi Suguru. The Hanadera student council president ruffled her hair and softly smiled. "Luke warm water seems to have a good effect for your health." He half twirled a fringe of her silky brown hair at the top of his forefinger.

Carte du jour, Kashiwagi first on; Kashiwagi and ranting (mocking) seemed to make her day before it started. "Not so a ladies man Suguru," Yumi offered, she stared bemused at him.

"Never my intention to do so, Yumi-chan," Kashiwagi calmly said, a hint of amusement was evident at his singsong reply.

As if asking for an opinion, she looked at the other two who turned deaf at this familiar snapping. Although hard pressed effort of containing laughter from one and sigh from the other had proven otherwise. Hardly unpredictable, and she turned back.

"Of course," She replied anonymously, leaving it hanging, unanswered, walking. A small distance that separated her and her companion before was closed easily with a couple steps.

She walked past them this time, not wanting for they to see her relaxed smile; she could feel a lightweight on her feet. She breathed deeply, inhaling morning breeze as chirping birds gathered on trees' branches. Forward. From here she could see clearly the familiar woody entrance, recognizable since she had walked on the same creaking timber less than twenty six hours ago. Greetings, hello, an aftershock afterwards (not her). Graciously grand.

One whistled a tune she did not know as they walked from corridor to corridor, climbing stairways, turning deaf to those stares and whispers. _Seriously..._, Yumi felt like rolling her eyes. It just a normal student with some almost...exotic beneficiaries. There was no exhibition here. Her sight soon averted into another matter. The hanging board was written in printed letters, with bold area. So she knocked.

Two times. Four times, Seven t-

"_Enter._"

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**Labyrinth of Mockingbird**

_Chapter 2 – Crash Test Dummies_

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Long time ago, in a long conversation with someone with eerily similar personality as her, Yoko was alarmed with trepidation. The face blurred in her memory, filling her with something a surge of warmth, some excitement, sometimes hopeful; most of the time it was a touchy feely contentment. Never a resentment, feeling irate, yes, maybe.

Mizuno Yoko was not having a good day...just a feeling, perhaps.

She had never been good at this, and the pricking feeling at the back of her neck was not helping. Not receiving free omikuji from Todo-san seemed to send her back a bad karma, not that she was not curious at her luck. Mizuno Yuko and luck had never been a good match.

Yuko awoke with a jerk, which, she reflected, was not a nice way to describe the shoulder hair length blond beside her. Then that blond had really annoyed her this morning to no end, and she was not feeling that all charitable. She looked around, noticing her surrounding, of all plastic chairs and iron pole, glasses. Nothing broken. Various people in various uniform, some casual day to day clothes, they stood up and moved, shifted out from their chairs.

"_Lillian Jogakuen, Lillian Jogakuen."_

They crowded at the back door, standing quietly and waiting for it to be opened. With a swoosh, the metal door bar shifted to the side; and then she barely registered that somebody was pulling her out of that rectangle and large public vehicle. Of course.

"Come on, you don't want to come late for the meeting. Right, Chinensis-sama?" Sei winked. Of course. Yoko wore irritation (rarely) on her face.

Then again, this was Persian feline-half human she was facing. "Do you need a back ear scratch Sei?" She smiled boredly.

"That depends," Sei mulled with a finger on her chin, and then she halted suddenly, "Ne, I like kisses better." Sei spun and stop barely inches from her. Which if Yoko didn't know any better, that Sei was playing a dangerous ground with her.

_Wise and tactful_, "And why should I?" She was aware of others had stopped to see the live scene, and this is why exactly she should not be surprised for tomorrow Lillian Kawaraban's headlines.

"Because...," Sei trailed off as Yoko moved slowly away from her. That list should be long enough for Sei to be distracted that far. Sure enough, she made it several steps away from Sei before the blond aware that Yoko had moved out off her grasp. "Offfffffffffffffffff this!" Yoko did not appreciate to be tackled suddenly from the back, and tickled, mercilessly.

Self-control was all she rely upon for her not slapping the blond upside and down. "Gerroff me," She was having breathing difficulty.

"I don't want to," Sei was grinning from ear to ear, like a bobcat. After minutes of struggle, Sei decided it was enough for the brunette to have her freedom. All tousled and irate Yoko eerily resembled Hades in his glory.

"_I. Really. Hate. You_." Yoko was heaving.

Sei titled her head to the side, pretending to think for seconds. "Good," that stupid grin was back, " I really-love-you too."

Yoko's eyebrows twitched. That blinding light at the end of Sei's teeth gave her an early migraine. She shook her head, smacking those disturbing images and headed straight to the Maria statue. Sei followed her dutifully, that eerie grin seemed enough to make audience stepped out of their way.

They walked in pace with each other, ignoring the growing stares directed at them; while Yoko had a blank look on her face and Sei whistled merrily. Both made in in front of Maria statue. Yoko clasped her hand together in front of her chest, sending a short prayer. She did not bother to look at Sei nor she sparred a glance at the nearing footsteps. At first she thought that it was her own imagination, but the complete silence was slowly grating on her nerves. It was too quiet. She opened an eye, and then she saw her.

Clasping her hand with firm precision twice, a brown haired girl with two pig tails she had never seen before parted her lips.

"Hello...," the brown haired girl spoke softly. Somehow Yoko had inkling that it was not directed at her, although it was said with an undercurrent of hesitation. "How are you, because I'm just fine?" Then the brown haired girl clasped her hand three more times and left the site. Yoko was not aware that her hand still clasped together and both her eyes were now opened. In the back of her mind she could see Sei doubled in mirth.

The brown haired girl walked forward to the main chocolate building, and Yoko could make three other people who accompanied her. Two grown man in black business suit. One with black hair style and a slim built she vaguely recognized somewhere. The other was a blond built man with short pony tail, carrying a black bag-pack. The third was a curvy, tall purple haired lady wearing a heavy purple blouse. She wore a light make up; not too much and just enough. It gave her spark to her natural beauty and glowing radiance. Yoko caught her eyes and the purple lady smiled slightly at her. _Me?_ Yoko raised her eyebrows; and as if the lady heard, a wink was sent after her. The lady turned her back and followed the same path with brown haired girl before Yoko could say anything.

She looked a bit more at the four before an erupted laughter was blown to her ears. She turned to her side, finding Sei hardly containing her wide smile. _What?_ Yoko' eyebrows rose further.

"Yoko and the strangerrr...flirtinggggggg!!" Sei pranced around, her feet dancing, stepping forward and back. Her steps light as Yoko marched forward. "First come the date..., and bring the wedding. All in the end, it comes to chib "

Yoko bonked Sei's head with her book bag. "Finish that and you're a dead cat Satou."

"Aww..., Yoko being cute." Sei grinned and pinched Yoko's cheeks, hard; and then she fleet to Yamayurikai base. Other simply watched the duo as they made a mad dash and getting smaller at distance.

Until a spark of star came from miles..., "_COME BACK HERE!! I HAVEN'T FINISHED WITH YOU YET!!"_

Tomorrow Lillian Kawaraban's headlined should be interesting. Of course.

000

"Drake Anderson"

"Kashwagi Suguru."

"Nancy Makuhari."

"Fukuzawa Yumi."

The quartet stated their name clearly, and this old woman began to regret their visit at the first sight. She let a half smile through, not wanting to disrupt the moment.

"Welcome you four. Is there anything I can help you with?" The quartet shared a look and a brunette came forward.

"Why yes Headmistress, we would like to discuss a matter of importance. But, shall we get more comfortable before we start?"

The headmistress nodded sagely. She titled her head to the side and stood up, gesturing her guest to the wider space in her office. Gennai Hikaru was a busy woman, aside from single handedly managing Lillian Jogakuen. She had tight schedule, and board director started grating her patience this lately. Hikaru poured equally distributed tea into five cups and handed four to her guest. After the first sip, she held her cup at her lap and looked at her guest. "Now, where were we?" She patiently waited at their explanation.

Nancy was smiling in contrast to Yumi's exasperated look. Kashiwagi gave a polite smile, and Drake had a blank look on his face.

"Well," Yumi scratched the back of her neck, "How should I put this..."

"We," Nancy spoke first.

"Were wondering," Drake said.

"If you would be so kind."

"To give a few exemptions."

"On Yumi behalf," finished Suguru.

Yumi sighed. _That about to sum it up_.

She was intrigued, Hikaru found herself nodded. "Is this due to Yumi-san late admittance?"

"It related somehow," Yumi muttered.

"To some extent, yes," Suguru said with a smile, "But this is an entirely different matter."

"Which makes it more difficult," Yumi muttered, and received an elbow from her female companion. She gave a blank look to Nancy.

"_Behave,"_ Nancy whispered to her ear. Yumi merely rolled her eyes.

Drake coughed and brought everyone's attention to him. He lifted his black backpack and rummaged for awhile until he found what he was searching. He pulled out a brown sealed paper-folder. He put the paper stack on the table and look upward. "All right kouchou-san, here is her complete profile. We intend to make this easier by coming here and talk about it. But," he halted and looked at the trio who smiled innocently, "That not seemed to be an option anymore." He looked back to Hikaru again.

"Just a slight information for you to know, Hikaru Gennai-san. Here's the deal," Nancy gestured the brown paper pack, "This information is high-priced. Highly confidential that you won't find anywhere even in government sealed room." She smiled relaxingly. "And what we have, what you see, what you hear, what you _learned_," she put an emphasis to her last words, "will not leave this room, ever." She looked at Hikaru in the eye. "Are we clear?"

Hikaru looked at the brown paper-pack on the table, assessing the situation and looked up to the four before she nodded. "Crystal."

Suguru smiled. "Perfect. Now, we will give you the short version. _She_," Yumi smiled as Suguru spoke, "is not exactly a normal student. Yumi has some..._abilities_ that others do not. A gift, that I might say. In other word..."

_Amateur? I'm not an amateur. I'm specialist._

Yumi looked up to the ceilings.

"She has talents that not to be frowned upon," said Drake with an amount of precision. Nancy shared him a knowing look. "That not to be underestimated."

_You got that right_, Yumi counted the amount of cracks in the ceilings. "While I am not disagree with your knowledge and thought, put this in your said of a brain," she said while looking up before moving down to meet Hikaru's.

Her serious shooting eye lost its sharpness as she grinned. "Think what you want, because I'm just a normal girl."


	3. Two Caterpillars

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**Labyrinth of Mockingbird**

_Interlude - A Moment in Time_

_"Two Caterpillars"_

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She swung her bangs to the side, staring dead at the piles before her, in front of her. Ticking clock resounding at the corner and cigarette hung limply between her lips. She breathed deeply. She could make out the sound of creaking door as it opened slowly. She rested her chin on her elbow as she laid back on the comfortable recliner.

Yuki walked silently to the window sill and opened the curtain, shifting it to the side as he unlocked the handle and let fresh air flowing in and out. He repeated it all over at others and sat at on the couch at the side of the room, watching Yumi as she inhaled with close eyes. He watched, examining her twin carefully in relaxing manner. He lifted his leg and put it on top of his other, his hand folded in front of his chest. "Tough day?" Yuki asked his twin.

Her eyelids half opened and she put her cigarette on the tray at the table. She reached the brown mug at the side of her Q-tech and sipped the bitter liquid slowly, savoring the taste. The coffee had grown cold, but she still drinks it anyway. She held the mug on her lap as she spoke slowly, "Yuki..., " she closed her eyes again, "can you please bring me that gray bottle in the shelf?"

Yuki watched a little more and shook his head. "No." He smiled. "Talk to me nee-san."

Yumi frowned, and put the mug on the table again. She resumed her position and rested her hand on the chair' arms. "Then leave." She lit her new one. "The door just a couple steps away from here."

"I cannot do that."

Yumi inhaled and tapped the filter on the tray, cylinder of ashes fell on the round ceramic.

"Why?"

Yuki pondered at the counter question, and he spoke softly, "Why indeed..."

"I'm the one with question, Yuki."

"I see."

"Do you?" Rhetorical and they both knew it.

He closed his eyes, feeling the dark vast space. Words slipped out off his lips as he recalled his day. "I met him, in student council office. He called me Yukichi." His lips formed a wry smile. "I'm not exactly fond with nicknames as you know. A silly one." A strange smile surfaced on his face. "They have large jizuou statue on the front lawn, a maze like path to the main building. Large place. Like public pool in vacation."

Yumi opened her eyes, shifting her head to the side, looking at him.

"Warm place. Like floating tub in the middle of nowhere." He opened his eyes to meet hers. "Nice area, is it?"

Yumi averted her eyes, and looked out at the window. To the floating cloud and bright sky. She recalled, remembering the almost exact words in her memory. She let out her own smile. "It's been a long time."

"Yeah..." Yuki trailed off.

"Think you can fit in?"

Yuki gave her half smile. "I don't have a choice."

One of her eyebrows rose.

He shook his head softly. "Not for everything."

"Not for everything...," she repeated his words. Yumi looked at the blank screen, distracting herself with the unmovable object. She gave a slight touch to the side. "A strange mindset."

"Yes, you and I both."

She smiled. "Pray tell, why are we here again?"

"We sit, talking, releasing our mind..."

"And."

"...thinking for what we left behind, looking back at our own sky... I'm here, you're here." He tapped the couch's arm.

"What are you thinking?"

Yuki breathed. "I'm..." He shook his head. "let go."

"All over again."

"Lots," he continued, "lots..."

She nodded.

"We are not denying, nee-san."

"I know."

"It is the way."

"I know."

"We're on the right track."

"Yeah."

"We've made up our mind. Do we?" He looked at her in the eyes.

She searched for doubts, looking for missing pieces in those emerald orbs that so similar as hers. "What are you afraid of?"

He shook his head. "What are we afraid of."

She fell silent, inhaling the air, exhaled. "Nothing, as it should be." Her throbbing headache began to lessen. "_As it should ever be,_" she whispered.

He gave her a warm smile. He rose from his seat, walked to her who had sat at the window sill in the middle of conversation.

"Grazie, amico."

He held her, burying his face in her crook. So she embraced his warmth, his lullaby in the summer.

"Non è niente ."


	4. Coming to Grips with Gravity

_wojtyla: Yoh! Thanks for the support. About that beta..., well. I have one, but sometimes my grammar and story plot are too messy and confusing that it irritate her more often than not. I think I will try to finish a story first and after I can prove that I'm capable of it, then I'll move into grammar etc. I just cannot concentrate on two things at once. Either finish a story before I lost my mood, or fixing my english and losing my story. Nope, I'm not studying french nor german. I just like to add several things on my fic. Its a story after all._

shizmaring: Hullo. About the pairing, I'm not quite sure, yet. I have something in mind for LoM, but it would be a surprise for you. Far much later, far much in the future (if I'm still capable to finish this)

elfspirit7: Whoa! Whoa! Ha ha ha. Slow down girl, just take it easy. Here the update you have been waiting for. This is actually a half for the whole part, but I think it will overload the chapter and outgrown the later chapters. Do you know how taxing it took me to write this? Thank lot.

fran-chan808: Thanks. Lots said this story was..., well, interesting. Honestly, this was not what I originally had in mind when I'm writing LoM. I wasn't even intended to set the background in Lillian. And yes, Sa-chan will have her episode later (she hold quite an important part, you know).

Hier: Older Yumi, hmm? Strange (You hit the nail here, but you are right. Hint for later chapters!!! *grin*). That what I exactly had in mind when I was re-reading the first chapter. I actually like that scene. Thank you for sharing your particular thought with me, I appreciate it. 

* * *

_**[Friday] **_

**[Milk Hall] **

**[1800 Hours]**

Tsukiyama Minako was not feeling generous. A cup of strawberry milk in her right hand, a piece of notes on her left, her eyes were dark and cloudy.

"This is not what I expected from you, Tsukiyama-san."

Honestly? She was more irritated than mad.

"I thought the things I heard from first year students were rumours, merely."

Minako chuckled dryly.

"That depends, from whom you heard the news. Quite startling revelation for you, eh?" Minako said.

"Hmm? And here we are."

"Here here." Minako raised her cup, hoping the disgusting liquid would somewhat spilled on the floor. Really..., strawberry milk? Intelligent people with nothing to do had a weird craving far from normal. Escaping from normalcy, most likely.

"So, what do you think?"

"Of her ?"

The look Minako received was clearly saying 'No, duh. Are you daft or something?'. The mocking level was tolerable enough for her to ignore it. She was used to this behaviour already, but if others were to see this...

"She was..., acceptable," Minako stated quite unsurely.

"Enough for you to justify?"

Minako was not sure of how to answer that and she maintained her silence. _That_ girl...was not what she had been expected either, nor a meeting that was held in ridiculously late hour like this.

"_I-We are glad that you are willing to do this." Minako smiled._

"_No problem, Minako-san. The pleasure is all mine."_

"_Fabulous," Minako said, carefully weaved the thread of her words, "As we all know that our conversation might be a bit...delicate, on its own that is."_

"_Delicate...? Is there something wrong? Let me alert Kouchou Gennai if we need a special requirement for other kept information then. She'll be sure to provide assistance."_

"_It's hardly necessary to go to such lengths," Minako stalled immediately, glancing to her partner. Already she could hear murmurs and shifting chairs. "There have been..., miscommunication between our fellow students both in this grade and upper grades. Our attempt to straighten their restless nature leaves us with only feasible option which leading us here."_

"_So, direct approach is the best way to find the source of the smoke."_

_Minako nodded. "We were not used to anomaly during the length of study as we residing in this place. As you can see, the anomaly itself can be seen as a rarity."_

_Another murmurs, raising eyebrows followed._

"_I see..., this has to do with a particular strange occurrence then."_

"_It is very possible," agreed the chief editor and head of Lillian Kawaraban._

Sound of snicker which later she deciphered as her own disrupted her memory lane.

"Something on your mind?"

Minako shook her head, a smile on her lips from her residual outburst was still there.

"No, nothing." Minako heaved a satisfied sigh.

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**Labyrinth of Mockingbird**

_Chapter 3 – Coming to Grips with Gravity_

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**[Two days previous, Wednesday]**

**[Room 1-3. Introduction to Classic Literature]**

**[0937 Hours]**

"_Yo no naka wo nani nagekamashi." _

Yomi-sensei was holding an old book, its pages had yellowed from age.

"_Yamazakura hana miru hodo no kokoro narisheba"_

Yomi-sensei held the book with one hand, in linear with her shoulder.

Meanwile, she was staring blankly to the side of the window, half-listening. The weather was nice outside. She wondered if she could sit there, below the cherry blossom tree. The wave of sleep ran and chasing her, crashing her rock will to stay awake. Her eyes began drifting off. Her ears closed slowly, the waka beginning to sway to her hearing.

"A life is worth above everything, troubles lurking in the water, and happiness will not ever to be acquired in the same way."

She stared at the blurry images, watching the blue sky turned grey. A knock on the door, but she was too tired to shift her gaze.

"Yomi-sensei?" A twin pig-tailed brunette knocked the door twice, she entered the class with a slip of paper. She handed it in on the front table. "Koucho told me to give this to you."

"Gennai-san?" Yomi raised one of her eyebrows. People followed her gaze to the white envelope.

"Yes," was her short reply.

"I see," Yomi trailed off-handedly. "You can have your seat."

The twin pig-tailed nodded.

Yomi looked at the paper-white, staring a bit more even after the student had sat on her chair. Then she nodded once and put it in her drawer.

"Interpret Murasaki as your imagination goes. Take a piece of paper and write it down in approximately five hundred words. With 10 percent margins, you can make it to four hundred and ninety words, or five hundred and fifty words. It will be collected in..." and Yomi glanced at the cream clock on the white wall, "...fifteen minutes from now. You may begin"

Paper rustling and books spread and chattering spread amongst students in their seats, each starting their works. They were halted before they could write a single piece of letter.

"No books on the table. Your paper will be collected and marked."

At that perplexed looks were shared among each other.

"This is a close book test," Yomi added sternly, and grinned, "Seeing less than half of you barely listening to what being said in my one hour lecture."

And then groans.

She wondered if Yomi-sensei was named after Youma.

"Todo-san?"

She looked up questioningly (since she had been listening with half ear).

"You will aid Fukuzawa-san, your paper can be handed during break with hers."

_Fukuzawa?_

"Fukuzawa Yumi?"

The twin pig-tailed halted in her bag-ransacking, searching for stationary, also looking up to meet Youma-_Yomi_-sensei eyes.

"Meet Todo Shimako, she will be your guide for the rest of the period."

_Guide?_

And then she finally looked -really looked- at the freshman who she could have sworn met her eyes with less than mild curiosity, who as quickly as lightning cut the gaze-

"Err..., Yumi-san?" Her vocal chord felt like it strained with leads.

-who she could have worn stilled like statue as she called the name.

"Konichiwa." The freshman smiled.

Her rosy lips twitched just barely.

000

**[Room 3-2. Mathematics and Calculus]**

**[0947 Hours]**

"Yoko."

To find the volume of a sphere of radius r, rotate a half-disc of radius r. More precisely, consider the half-disc on the upper half plane centred red at the origin and of radius r. In other words, consider the area bounded by the circle x2 + y2 = r2, with y ≥ 0. With the notation mention before, consider the function of f(x)...

Carry the pi, bring Iota in the...

"Yoko."

Putting it together into, no, not Iota...

Bring the Integral into..., _Integral into_...., but the poking on her side was not helping any.

"Sei..._, Stop. __**That!**_"

"Mizuno-san, is there any problem with your problem?" The voice from the front of the class echoed in the silence.

The young adult snapped her gaze. "Not at all, sensei." _Show your teeth, just ignore the devil_. Back to work...

Kubota-sensei nodded curtly, she went back to her grading.

Yoko face-palmed. This had become more irritating as the milisecond passed. She looked down to the half finished equation for their tryout session. The numbers and symbols had somewhat blurred into ocean of black dots in her eyes. Yoko blinked as small paper slipped on her table just below her stationary which consisted no more than a pencil and scientific calculator.

_It_ read: 'Still thinking that girl?'

She scrunched the small paper in her hand loudly, wanting desperately to pound that-

"Mizuno-san?"

"Everything _fine_, sensei."

Yoko sighed softly, tossing the crumpled paper to the ground beside her table, just enough to toss her pencil to the side, and the wooden stick fell. She bend down to pick her fallen stationary and paused long enough to blink. There was something else written in the far corner of that paper that had not yet crumpled, enough to enable her to read-

Sei yipped as The Force landed successfully on her toes, hard.

"_Yes, __**Satou-san**__?_"

Thus, all eyes focused on the twitching blonde.

Yoko smiled, and the forgotten paper laid peacefully on the floor.

'...p.s. Have a lunch date with me?'

000

**[Room 1-3]**

**[First Break] **

**[1030 Hours]**

She was scribbling furiously on a piece of paper. The lack of activities she spent by drooling and human study in literature class made her forgotten work came into surface as the bell rung. She meant to do it fast and to be done quickly at first, not literally (that her atonement that was sought in the form of Todo Shimako's face had become a tempting matter). So she took a quick memory skim at what Shimako had kindly explained by looking at her side - by temporarily worshipping her visual memory- and danced eloquently with her pen and paper.

"Ooohhhhh, that is nice! Can I pick one?"

"Nope, you already had for the past five minutes."

"But I'm still hungry!"

"Don't worry, I don't blame your never-ending stomach."

Eloquently, with a big 'E'. Then, the never-ending babbling around her made her thought otherwise. Well...., _hell_, why did she care anyway? The slander figure of calligraphy continued to slip now and then on the white surface. Note to self: need to restrain killing toward a certain literature teacher. Was there a teacher _ever_ assigned a pop quiz to a freshman with no backup material in any high school?

"But Emi-chan, Izu was being rude!"

"So why do you talk to me?"

"Why Emi-chan, that's what friends are for."

"Wrong answer."

Restrain becoming a somewhat taboo thought for her healthy mind. These _kids_ were too noisy. She glanced down to her chicken-like calligraphy. _Just a bit more_. Alas, being a published writer and independent researcher did not help in improving her writing in any language. And then came the pounding in her head. It was starting again, the healthy dose of banging in her cerebrum. How she despised her migraine. She pinched the bridge of her nose. The sounds around her only made it worse in per-nanoseconds.

"Excuse me?"

The sight of people crowding at the door did not help either, searching gaze was thrown all over the small room.

_Deep breath. _

Short hair and long haired brunette, carrying what most likely a pen pad and notebook.

_Twenty, Nineteen, Eighteen..._

"Is Fukuzawa-san here?" Long haired brunette, clipped in a single ponytail. Tsukiyama Minako. Lillian Kawaraban president and head editor.

_Reading the whole Lillian Jogakuen students profile seemed to feed back its advantages._

"Why hello, Minako-san!" Four eyes greeted them a bit too enthusiastically at the door. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

_...seventeen, sixteen..._

"Such formalities, Tsutako-san," Minako greeted back with a smile, "Do you mind if we borrow Fukuzawa-san for a bit?"

_Or not._

"Fukuzawa-san?" Four eyes said slowly, still smiling, fingers in a frantic gesture behind her back.

_...fourteen, twelve..._

"Yumi-san."

She blinked, _...thirteen, twelve..., _and turned to the voice. "Yes, Todo-san?"

"Please follow me."

_Breathe..._ She raised her eyebrows. "Where?"

"I'm going to show you the way around."

_...twelve, eleven..._, "When?"

"Now seems to be the perfect time."

"Why?"

_...ten..._

"Because..." Shimako became more frustrated at the word games. Honestly, she knew what Lillian Kawaraban wanted to do, of the things that might happen if Yumi was to be dragged with them. Minako and her soeur were good people with good intention-

"Fukuzawa Yumi?" _Lo and behold._ "Tsukiyama Minako. This is my assistant, Yamaguchi Mami." Minako gestured to the person behind her and turned again. "We are Lillian Kawaraban. May we have your time at this moment?" Minako was here, her chibi version followed not far behind. Tsutako waved an apologetic gesture, one that made Shimako face-palmed inwardly.

-and sometimes it brought disaster and unnecessary drama more often than not.

_...eight..._

"Why yes, Minako-san." She smiled. "Come, come. Err..., Todo-san. Do you mind if I borrow your chair?" She tilted her head to the side.

_Have you lost your mind?_ Shimako wanted to shout that out loud, but then, "No." The reply came short.

_...eight..._

"Great!" She let out a beaming smile and walked to Shimako's table, bending her body to take the chair. She lifted the wooden material and her lips close to Shimako's ear then Shimako blinked.

She smiled to the duo, putting the chair across her table.

"Fukuzawa-san, maybe we could talk in somewhere a bit more..., private?"

_...six, four..._

"Why, Minako-san. I'd prefer to have an interview with _witnesses_." She put an emphasis to the last word. She was aware that others were staring at the display in the middle of the class, but then, "Unless, there was _something_ running in Lillian Kawaraban?"

_...four..._

Little Shimako knew, Tsutako had crept behind her.

Minako's smile tightened. "No, of course not. It is not an inconvenience. _That,_ we can assure."

Her eyes met Shimako.

_...two..._

_Leave it to me_, Yumi's words again rung in Shimako's ear.

"Perfect." With intertwined fingers, Yumi sat and waited.

_...zero._


End file.
